husband, father, and pastor

Good News for Yesterday, Today and Forever

Good News

We have all gotten good news before. We got a letter in the mail that we were accepted to that college we were hoping to get into.

When my girl friend at the time said YES to my proposal! That’s great news!

Your team won the championship! That’s good news! We receive all kinds of news some good and some bad. I am a Lakers fan and it was good news when they won their championship in 2010. That was good news. It now seems like a distant memory as they have not even made the playoffs the last few years.

News can some times become outdated. With the advent of the 24 hour news cycle news can change quickly. Yesterdays news can seem like a lifetime away.

However, there is news, good news, that is relevant yesterday, today and forever.

Check out what Paul says in his letter to the churches in Roman about this good news.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life g was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power i by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1-7

Good News for Yesterday

The gospel is the good news that he is talking about. Paul refers back to yesterday. He is saying that the good news was spoken about in the prophets and the holy scriptures. This is referring back to the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. The good news was talked about in the past. Paul gets specific here he says “a descendant of David” and Jesus is Christ our Lord.

Jesus is a descendant of the greatest king of Ancient Israel’s history. And he is the “Christ” or Messiah and king.

Paul says this in the book of Acts when referring to Jesus as a descendant of David

“We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “ ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “ ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ Acts 13:32-35

This is good news was relevant yesterday and it is relevant for today.

Good News for Today

The good news that Paul spoke was good news for today. It clearly spoke of good news that was relevant for their today, and for our today as well.

It was good news for today because it brings salvation.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

We are saved from our sins. We have eternal life. We are made right and have a relationship with God forever. This is for those of us who put their trust in Jesus.

This is also good news for today because it engages culture. The words “Good News,” “King,” and “Lord” were all also in reference to Caesar. His birthday was even called “Good News.” He was king and Lord. The early church new that this could create tension with the culture. And yet they were to proclaim that Jesus the King is Lord!

Paul’s good news is good news for yesterday, today and forever.

Good News for Forever

Paul’s good news is for forever. Paul says this later on in Romans

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11

Jesus our king was raised, so we too will be raised. What happened to Jesus will happen to us. He give us life now and forever. This is good news for yesterday, today and forever.

Conclusion

I think it is easy for us to get bogged down with the issues of life. Even for those who work in the church. We can forget “the why.” Why do we do what we do? Why do we follow Jesus? Why do we serve in the church? It is because the Good News is always good news.

The good news is always good news

This news never goes out of style or becomes outdate. What would happen if we lived our lives day in and day out like the Good News is still good today? What if we realized that the Good news engages culture today? What would happen if we lived like “The gospel” was relevant to our lives today? What if we lived like the good news is not yesterday’s news?

I believe we would not grow weary in doing good. I believe we would engage culture instead of isolating ourselves. I believe we would live out this good news and share it with others.

What do you think? How would treating the Good News like its still good news change how we live? Thanks for reading!